"Gimme that ole metric index, gimme that ole metric index, gimme that ole metric index, it's good enough for me..."

Don't you love some of the tunes of the old hymn standards but sometimes feel the words are a tad out of date or not quite the meaning you want to impart? Allow me to introduce to you a dear old friend of ours, the Metrical Index, found in the back of every hymnal I have ever known.

Found on page 664 of the UU hymnal, Singing the Living Tradition, but hiding in the back of every Protestant hymnal I have ever met, the Metrical Index lists songs that share the same line meter and therefore can have their words and tunes interchanged easily.

For instance, the Doxology, "Old Hundredth," dates back to 1551. You may know it as "All People That on Earth Do Dwell." This song is in Long Meter, 8.8.8.8 syllables per line. There are literally 45 other hymns in the UU hymnal that share that meter and therefore can be interchange - tunes and words as poignant as "When Jesus Wept,"  as yearning as "When all the Peoples of this Earth," as mysterious as the words of Hildegard of Bingen, "I am that Great and Fiery Force,"...... the possibilites are endless!

I love the Welsh tune of the hymn,"Come Thou Long Expected Jesus," written in 1844 by Rowland Pritchard (Metric name: Hyfrodol, syllabic numbers: 8.7.8.7.D). Many of us know it as the Earth Day hymn, "Blue Boat Home," arranged by Peter Meyer. It has a very adaptable meter that can handle scores of other lyrics - 14 listed in the UU hymnal.

The beautiful tune called Sursum Corda has a meter of 10.10.10.10 and can handle the gorgeous words of RabindranathTagore (UU #191) or the words of Robert Frost (UU#64) or W.H. Auden's poem, "What Shall we Learn." The fact is, "Abide with Me," which most people associate with funerals, is a beautiful 10.10.10.10 melody that can carry many, many different lyrics on its back.

When crafting a lay service, this means you can be very discriminating. You may want to chose a great tune, then see if there are words that fit both the tune and your theme, or you may choose words you love but that may be matched in the hymnal with a difficult or unfamiliar tune. Check to see if you can change up that tune to one either more familiar or easier to sing.

I'm all for learning new tunes - I'm a huge fan of the UU Teal hymnal when used properly (that's worth it's own posting...) and I feel that stretching musically bring richness and spiritual intensity to our singing repertoire, but let's face it: lay-led services can be short on expert musical resources and it's nice to know you may have options other than the particular tune currently matched with a particular lyric. Plus the old tunes are great!

Use those little color-coded post-its and mark hymns with the same meter in your hymnal!
You will be delighted by what you find!

How did I find out about this valuable gem? Years ago from my elementary and high school youth choir director at Riverside Church in New York, Rose Marie Wildman, a gifted church school teacher who believed children should be taken seriously musically. I'll never forget her leading us in the chorale of J.S.Bach's St. Matthew's Passion with an adult cast of hundreds and full orchestra. Oh, we had to sing it in German, of course. Amazing!